Page 102 of Enchanted to Meet You

“It will only make them angrier, and put the people of this town in more danger. Demons feed off negativity. What drives them away is positive energy, understanding, and justice, not attempts to cast them into eternal damnation.”

“Come on.” She seized Derrick’s hand, and before he realized what was happening, he found himself being tugged toward his new bike. “We’ve got to find Esther.”

“You two go on,” his mother called to them as they strapped on the matching black helmets he found in the bike’s storage compartment. “I’ve already involved myself more than I should. I’m staying here with my new friends.”

“Yeah,” Mark said, putting one arm around Derrick’s mother, and the other around his own mother’s. “I’ll take good care of our moms.”

“Good luck with that,” Derrick muttered, as he heeled back the bike’s kickstand.

Then Jessica wrapped her arms around his waist, and he felt her soft breasts against his back. His heart staggered as if he were a boy again.

“Is your motherreallynot going to help?” she asked.

“She’s already helped,” he said. “She brought you and me together. The rest is up to us. Are you ready?”

He felt her grip on his waist tighten. “I’m ready,” she said.

He flipped on the ignition. “Let’s go.”

Jessica

During a waning moon, perform spells to banish. During a waxing moon, perform spells for growth. During a full moon, perform spells for power.

Goody Fletcher,Book of Useful Household Tips

Of course I had a lot of feelings about my boyfriend’s mother forcing her son to show up in a tuxedo at the restaurant where she and I were having lunch.

Even though Derrick seemed to get over his indignation with her pretty quickly, this didn’t feel to me like the healthiest relationship, especially since she wouldn’t help save my town from possible demonic annihilation.

But unfortunately I didn’t have time to sort through my emotions about that.

When Derrick pulled his bike up in front of Enchantments, I hopped from the back and whipped off my helmet, hoping my curls would come streaming out and then bounce right back into place like the hair of models always does on shampoo commercials.

But I’m not a model. And there was so much dampness andstatic electricity in the air from the storm brewing out east off the ocean, most of my curls seemed to stick wetly to my face instead.

Even so, Dina and Yasmin, who’d heard the rumble of Derrick’s bike engine, came out of their office across the street and hooted appreciatively.

“Yeah, lady!” Dina catcalled me. “Looking good!”

I turned around. Dina and Yasmin had already changed into their evening wear for the ball—gowns I’d selected for them at Enchantments, in which they seemed to glow, despite the growing darkness.

I waved to them—I didn’t have time for more—and hurried into the shop. Becca, Zahrah, and Naomi had changed into their gowns as well and were closing up. They glanced up at me in surprise as I burst in.

“What are you doing here?” Zahrah asked.

“Is that amotorcycle helmetin your hand?” Becca teased. “Bold fashion choice for a formal event.”

“Where are the girls?” I asked, my gaze tearing frantically around the shop. I didn’t see them anywhere in it. “Gabby and Esther?”

“They went on up to the square,” Zahrah said, looking confused. “Esther said she got a message to meet you there. Did you not—?”

“No.”

I swallowed back the sudden fear I felt welling inside me, then spun away from their confused expressions and pelted back out onto the street, where Derrick was waiting with the bike still running.

“She’s already at the square,” I told him, tugging my helmet once again over my damp curls. “Someone sent her a message telling her to meet me there.”

“One guess as to who it was,” he said as I swung up onto the seat behind him.